Cosmetic products which improve the appearance of skin are increasingly popular with consumers. These products aim to alleviate or delay the signs of aged or photoaged skin, such as fine lines and wrinkles, dry and sagging skin. Although the marketplace offers a variety of products, the cosmetic manufacturers continue the quest for alternative actives, in order to provide a consumer with a choice of products.
Several patents disclose cosmetic compositions incorporating succinate derivatives, but the disclosed compounds differ structurally from the succcinate compounds included in the present invention. See for instance Kalopissis (U.S. Pat. No. 3,976,781), Kopolow (U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,622), Shapiro et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,147), and Weil (U.S. Pat. No. 5,047,166). Gutierrez et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,696,288) discloses oxydisuccinate in detergent compositions.
Cosmetic compositions containing succinic acid are known. Unfortunately, succinic acid has limited solubility in water and is therefore hard to formulate in cosmetic compositions such as water-in-oil emulsions at sufficiently high levels. For ease of formulation, it is advantageous to have a more water-soluble active.
The present invention is based at least in part on the discovery that specific highly water-soluble succinate compounds increase glycosaminoglycan and collagen synthesis in the skin cells.